Elevator control including means to provide basement service



March 7, 1967 R. A. BURGY =ETAL 3,307,557

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5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. RAYMOND A. BURGY WARREN V. WEAVER AT TORNEYS March 7, 1967 A. 'BURGY ET'AL 3,3

ELEVATOR CONTROL INCLUDING MEANS TO PROVIDEVBASEMENT SERVICE Filed April 5, 1961 3 sheets sheet 3 l v 12:! I

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RAYMOND A.BURGY By WARREN v, WEAVER ATTORNEYS United States Patent ELEVATOR CONTROL INCLUDING MEANS TO PROVIDE BASEMENT SERVICE Raymond A. Burgy, Maumee, and Warren V. Weaver, Toledo, Ohio, assignors to Toledo Scale Corporation,

Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Apr. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 100,065 2 Claims. (Cl. 187-29) This invention relates to elevator controls and more particularly to controls for a group of elevator cars which are dispatched from a given landing in one direction and are arranged to provide a restricted amount of service to one or more landings beyond the given landing in a direction opposite the one direction.

It is conventional elevator practice to enhance the distribution of service provided by a plurality of elevator cars operating as a group by starting those cars from a landing ordinarily termed a dispatching terminal on some form of schedule which can be determined on a time basis, a service basis considering the service requirements imposed upon the system or the relative position of the several cars of the group. Frequently, such systems are arranged with the dispatching terminal short of the limits of travel for the elevator cars. For example, the elevator cars may serve one or more basements below the landing at which the principal access to the building is located, and in such instances, that landing is chosen as the lower dispatching terminal. In ordinary operation descending cars stop at the lower dispatching terminal and are held at that terminal until their service to upper floors is instituted by the dispatching system.

Service to the landings beyond the dispatching terminal, basement landings in the case of a lower dispatching terminal, disrupts the dispatching operation since cars are removed from the group available for dispatching to floors above the terminal in order to provide this service. In view of this disruption, on certain modes of operation service to landings beyond the dispatching terminals has been cut out.

The problems presented by landings beyond a dispatching terminal become even more complex and present a greater disruption of service in those instances where relatively heavy trafiic is encountered from those landings. For example, some buildings are constructed with elevator entrances accessible from levels below the lower dispatching landing. This occurs particularly where parking garages are located in the basements of the buildings or entries are provided from subterranean transportation systems. In such'situations it has been known to transfer the dispatching terminal to the basement landing when a predetermined level of tratfic is encountered at the basement. This type of operation then causes the ground floor to be treated as a normal intermediate floor and generates new problems where a substantial level of traffic is also present at the ground floor.

An object of the present invention is to improve elevator controls and operations in systems having landings beyond the dispatching landing.

Another object is to establish a predetermined amount of service at landings beyond a dispatching landing while maintaining dispatching functions at the dispatching terminal.

A further object is to provide some degree of regularity in the service rendered at landings beyond the dispatching terminal.

Another object is to enable elevator cars to proceed to landings beyond a dispatching terminal only periodically.

An additional object is to prevent service to landings beyond a dispatching landing when less than a given level of service is provided at the dispatching landing.

A further feature is to achieve maximum utilization of cars whch travel to landings beyond a dispatching landing.

According to one embodiment of the invention elevator cars are normally dispatched from their dispatching terminal and the landing or landings beyond that termi-- nal are provided with a predetermined portion of the total service available. Optionally the cars can be permitted to travel to the landing beyond the dispatching terminal so that a given proportion of the car trips in the normal dispatching direction are initiated from the landing beyond. This travel can be automatic or the cars can be arranged to serve the landing beyond only when they are required for this service.

A descending car is selected as it approaches the lower dispatching terminal in the case of a system applying this invention to a basement landing and bypasses the first floor to travel to the basement provided no calls are registered requiring its service at the terminal. The selection of a car for basement service excludes other cars from such service until a time period has elapsed following the selection of that car. This time period is adjustable to permit altering the distribution of service to the basement and the dispatching terminal. Upon expiration of the time interval the next descending car to approach the lower dispatching terminal is selected for service at the basement if a car is available for receiving passengers for ascending travel at the lower dispatching terminal. A car which travels to the basement will remain at the basement with its doors open for a time suf ficient to permit loading. This loading time is also adjustable and is independent of the door open time normally provided for automatic elevators at landings other than dispatching landings.

A car ascending from the basement will not enter the dispatching sequence at the lower dispatching terminal unless no car is available for receiving the load for up travel at the terminal. It will normally stop at that terminal but will remain only the normal stopping interval which is effective at landings intermediate the terminals. When no car is conditioned to receive the load at the terminal, it will be so conditioned. If the car is fully loaded at the basement, it will bypass the lower dispatching terminal as its ascends unless a car call is registered for that landing. If a call exists the car will stop and remain at the floor only for the time of its normal door operating sequences even if no load car is present.

The above and other objects and features of this invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a schematic diagram representing a four-car bank of elevators serving a plurality of landings including a lower dispatching landing and a basement landing below that lower dispatching landing;

FIG. II is an across-the-line diagram of representative portions of car call circuits for one of the cars of the group shown in FIG. I;

FIG. III is an across-the-line diagram of portions of the car starting and door closing circuits of one of the cars of FIG. I;

FIG. IV is a diagram in across-the-line form of circuits which are individual to each of the cars of FIG. I and includes certain of the car stopping circuits, basement service circuits, basement door time circuits, basement assignment circuits, load status circuits, basement return circuits, individual time interval circuits, and car selection circuits; and

FIG. V is a diagram of the certain circuits common to the group of elevators set forth in across-the-line form and illustrating basement assignment interval timer, spe

cial service circuits, basement assignment circuits, and basement program selection circuits.

A typical system utilizing the present invention is represented in FIG. I. It comprises a multi-car bank of elevators which are dispatched on a time basis by releasing the cars from a dispatching landing at timed intervals if calls are registered requiring service. Such a system is disclosed in Raymond A. Burgy, United States patent application, Serial No. 808,290, entitled Elevator Controls, which was filed March 30, 1959, and the disclosure of that application is incorporated herein where supplemental illustration is required. However, it is to be appreciated that this invention is not restricted in its application to the illustrative system and that it can readily be adapted to elevator control systems including those which employ dispatchers operating on the basis of the relative position of the several cars in the system and those which operate on the basis of the service provided by the system.

In the example the several cars are designated A, B, C and D and where the elements are duplicated, the reference characters indicate individual cars by the use of the appropriate letters as parenthetical sufiixes. In the illustrated circuits where individual cars are set forth the relays and contacts are treated as those of car A without applying the sufiix letter and when elements are indexed they are indexed only for car A. FIG. V includes contacts of several cars and those contacts are supplied with the sufiiX indicators.

In FIG. I car is supported by a lifting cable 11 trained over a traction sheave 12 on the armature shaft 13 of a lifting motor 14. A portion of the weight of the loaded car is counterbalanced by a counterweight 15. The motor control is represented as a variable voltage D.C. type. The motor is supplied over conductors 16 from a generator 17 driven by a motor 18 supplied from a suitable source, not shown. The variable voltage or Ward-Leonard type of elevator control is well-known in the elevator art and need not be elaborated upon here.

A commutating device commonly termed a floor selector 19 commutates a number of circuits which are established selectively in accordance with the car position. As schematically represented, the commutator device is coupled to the motor armature 13. In effecting this commutation each of a plurality of circuits, some of which are to be discussed below, are completed by the floor selector 19 through the engagement of stationary contact segments generally aligned in horizontal rows for a given landing by individual brushes carried on a vertically traveling and horizontally arrayed crosshead (not shown). The crosshead position is synchronized with the effective position of the car by some convenient means represented by the armature shaft coupling. The several floor selectors and their circuits are coupled through cables 20 to a supervisory control system 21 supplied with power over the leads 22.

Landing calls common to the cars of the group are registered by means of hall buttons coupled to the supervisory control 21 through the cable 23. Down hall buttons 24 are provided at the upper landing and each of the remaining landings other than the lowermost, while up hall call buttons 25 are provided at the lowermost or basement landing and every other landing but the uppermost landing. Each of the cars is provided with a control panel (not shown) which includes car call buttons for the several landings served by the cars. The controls actuated by car calls are individual to the cars.

The system to which the present invention is applicable can embody meany features conventional in groups of automatic elevators. Thus, each car will respond to the calls registered on its individual car call circuits and in traveling along its hatchway will stop for any landing calls it encounters which require travel in the direction which it is set to travel. The cars can be arranged to run to dispatching terminals and stop at those terminals or can be arranged, particularly when ascending, so that they reva direction for which it is set to travel and return to the lower terminal. When stopped at the dispatching terminals, cars ordinarily are selected and then made available for receiving loads for travel away from the terminal. In view of the many forms of equipment which are available to give these general modes of operation, disclosure of specific equipment is not believed to be necessary. However, in the illustration of the invention where a specific operating mode is accommodated, that mode disclosed in the aforenoted Rayond A. Burgy application, has been presented for purposes of illustration.

Only those portions of the control circuits for the individual elevators and the supervisory system for the group of elevators which are necessary to the understanding of the system are illustrated. These circuits have been shown in across-the-line form to facilitate their understanding. The a-cross-the-line type of representation associates the operating and control elements for convenient understanding of the electrical operations and does not portray the physical relationship bet-ween elements such as actuating coils and the contacts which they control. Frequently, the contacts controlled by a particular actuating coil are spaced a substantial distance therefrom and no physical connection therebetween is shown. In order to correlate such elements and to better indicate the location of the components of the system, the. diagrams have been divided into horizontal belts or Zones which have been numbered and indexed along their right hand margin. The actuating coils located within each zone have their reference characters reproduced in the marginal index to the right of the line numbers. The line location of the contacts associated with each actuating coil th-us indexed and shown in the illustrated drawings is set forth to the right of the reference characters of the actuating coils by the numbers of the lines in which they appear. The type of contact is also designated in this index, back or brake contacts having their line numbers under-lined to distinguish them from front or make contacts.

For purpose of convenience those relays and switches having actuating coils shown in the illustrated circuits are listed below in the alphabetical order of their symbols together with the name of the relay or switch and the line location of its actuating coil:

BCBasemen.t car call 35 BLT-Basement exclusion 6'7 BPS-Basement program selection '87 BR-Basement return '64 BSBasement service 59 BSD Basement door timer 60 BT1-Basement assignment timer 6l1 BUBasement assignment 82 BUA-Auxiliary basement assignment 83 CA-Car available 6 8 CSCar start 4+2 CSAAuxiliary oar start 43 CULM=Basement car load relay 62 OUN--Lower terminal car selection 69 RT-Reset timer 74 SCStopping 54 SPSSpecial service TMTime interval 78 TM1-Individual time interval 66 1CFirst car call 32 In addition to the relays and switches whose actuating coils are illustrated a number of such elements function in the operation of the invent-ion to control those circuits of the invention by opening or closing contacts and these elements are illustrated solely as contacts without their operating coils. The relays and switches so illustrated are.

listed below in the alphabetical order of their symbols with their names tabulated with the symbols.

AMAuxiliary main switch AMlF-Above main floor AS-Attendant start BKBrake BP-Bypass OUDUp dispatch CULUp load control CULN-Load car sequence 04 and C5-Program clock D'FDown generator field DF'UT-Up load control timer DLDown direction DUA-Auxiliary up dispatch EM-Emergency -FCar failure GSGroup service I-I1-'.Up peak program HS-Down peak program LBP-Load bypass MG-Main floor dispatching MT-Main switch time OPADoor opening RB Car button reset RSUUp rotary dispatch selector SBUL-Basement up landing signal SPS-Special basement service S1DLFirst floor down landing signal TO-Attendant throwover TRDoor time UFUp generator field UL-Up direction VSStop assured FIG. II is a fragment of the car call circuits for one car showing the car call buttons 26 in a main car control panel and 27 in an auxiliary car control panel for the first and basement landings. The auxiliary buttons 27 are effective only when the car is on automatic operation with its attendant throwover relays deenergized to close contact T0 at line 31. Ordinarily, contact RB at 31 is closed, that contact being opened by operation of the calbutton reset relay when the direction of travel for the car is reversed and functioning to release all of the car button coils so (that the car call-s are reset. When operated each car button energizes a car call relay having a hold coil and a reset coil such that the hold coil seals itself in until the ear is reversed or until it is stopped at the landing for which the call is registered. For example, operation of button controlled contacts 27 for the first landing at 31 at such time that the car is on automatic operation and is not in the process of being reversed will energize the hold coil 1C at 32 to close the cont-act at 36 thereby sealing the coil in. A call registered indication lamp 30 at 31 parallels the car call hold coil and is illuminated on the control panel in the car to indicate registration of a car call for that landing. Car call relay 1C is reset by energization of its reset coil 1C at 33 upon the arrival of the car effectively at the first landing when stop assured relay VS has closed its contact at 33, indicating that the car has accepted the call and will stop, and the brush 28 in the car call reset lane of the floor selector has engaged segment 29 at 33 for the first landing. When the reset coil for the car call is energized, it generates a flux opposing the hold-in flux of the hold coil thereby releasing magnetically held contact 10 at 3 3 to open the circuit to both the hold coil and the call registered indicator lamp. Similar circuits are provided for each of the landings served by the car above the first landing.

In the event car calls remain registered at the end of a car run, as where such a call is registered after a car has passed the landing of the call, they are reset by operation of car button reset relay RB (not shown) to open back contact RB at 31. RB operate-s incidental to arrival of a car at the lower dispatching landing. In some instances a basement service assignment of a car is effected at a time when the arrival of the car at the lower dispatching landing would operate RB. In order to avoid unwarranted cancelling of car calls a holding circuit around con tact RB at 31 is provided through contact BS of the basement service relay and MG of lower terminal relay for a car assigned to basement service and at the lower dispatching landing.

The car call circuits for the basement landing differ from those for other landings in that they are provided with a timer control contact TMl which when opened prevents the registration of car calls for basement service in a manner to be discussed below.

FIG. III discloses portions of the car starting and door closing circuits for an individual car. Leads R and B are supplied from a suitable source of direct current to energize these circuits. Car starting relays CS and CSA at 42 and 43 are dependent upon similar actuating circuits. As a prerequisite to operation of these relays a circuit must be completed between lead R and lead 47 and another between lead 48 and lead B. For the purpose of the present invention, only the circuits functioning when the car is present at the lower dispatching terminal or the basement are illustrated. However, it is to be appreciated that additional circuits are available between leads R and 47 to enable the running of the car when it is at floors above the lower dispatching terminal or is subject to top terminal dispatching.

The circuit comprising auxiliary up dispatching contact DUA and up dispatch contact CUD at 45 is energized by means not shown to start cars ascending from the lower terminal in response to operation of the dispatcher. The circuit including attendant start relay contact AS in series with the parallel combination of basement return relay contact BR and individual time interval contact TMl at 43 and 44 is effective when the car is at the basement but not While it is at the lower dispatching terminal inasmuch as the contact AS is closed at all times but when the car is at a terminal. If the car has run to the basement contact BR at 44 is open. However, after expiration of a predetermined interval to be discussed below contact TMl is closed. If the car is at the basement at this time, the series circuit of AS and TMl will be completed for a basement serving car and will enable such a car to run away from the basement by closing its doors and energizing its starting sequence. The circuit at 41 and 42 between leads R and 47 comprising basement return relay contact BR is series with the parallel combination of lower dispatching terminal contact MG and basement door timer relay BSD also establishes a limit upon the interval a car serves the basement by defining a predetermined interval following the setting of the brake when the car stops at the basement. When a car arrives at the basement landing, relay BR is energize-d to close its contacts at 4 2. At this time, the contact MG is open inasmuch as the car is not at the lower dispatching terminal.

Basement door time relay is energized after a given door open interval to close its contact at 41 and energize the door closing and car starting relays. A car returning from the basement also utilizes this circuit to maintain its starting circuit when it stops at the lower dispatching floor inasmuch as the relay BR remains energized until the car has run above the lower dispatching floor or is introduced into the dispatching sequence and, while at that floor, the contact MG is closed. Ordinarily BSD will time out before TMl; however, if a car assigned basement service is delayed at the first landing so that a substantial portion of the TMI interval expires before it arrives at the basement T Ml can time out and issue a start signal before BSD.

The circuit between leads 48 and B is normally energized by the slow drop out door time relay TR which closes its contact at 43. This relay is normally deenergized a given interval after the car stops at a landing or after the last load transfer as is more fully described in W. A. Nikazy United States Patent 2,758,676, entitled Variable Standing Time Control which issued August 14, 1956. When the car running operation has been initiated by the energization of the car starting relays CS and CSA a seal circuit is established at 42. Once the starting sequence has advanced to the point that direction has been established for the lifting equipment, auxiliary main switch AM is energized to open its contact at 42 thereby dropping out relays CS and CSA. Thus, it will be noted that CS and CSA are energized only during the initial portion of a car starting cycle.

The energization of the car starting relays CS and CSA initiates the door closing operation and, upon completion of that operation, actuates the lifting equipment for the car and release of the car brake so that the car will run.

In the event circuits are completed between leads R and '47 and leads 48 and B, the car starting relays will be energized provided an unsafe condition does not exist which would deenergize emergency relay EM and open its contact at 42 and provided that a door opening signal has not been issued to energize door opening relay OPA and open its contact at 42. Typical unsafe conditions include the operation of a door hold button or the presence of an obstruction in the closing path of the elevator doors.

Main leads P and Y of FIG. IV are supplied from a suitable source of alternating current. The circuits illusstrated include fragments of a car stopping circuit responsive to car calls and including stopping relay SC at 54 and its cooperating stopping circuits effective when the car is at the basement and first landing. The circuit also includes basement service relay BS which is energized when a car is conditioned to serve the basement, basement door timer BSD which is of the slow pull-in type and is energized while a car is stopped at the basement landing, basement assignment timer BT1 individual to the cars serving the basement and responsive to the common time interval relay TM through operation of individual time relay TM1 at 66 and basement return relay BR at 64. Basement return relay BR becomes effective as a car arrives at the basement and is held energized until that car has either been assigned up load status or has run above the lower dispatching floor. Car available relay CA at 68 when energized indicates that a car is at the lower dispatching landing and has not been assigned the up load status or been returned from the basement. Similar conditions coupled with selection of a car by the rotary dispatch selector RSU (not shown) will energize lower terminal car selection relay CUN at 69.

Stopping relay SC initiates the stopping of a car in response to the registration of a car call for a landing which the car is effectively approaching. This relay is operated by the engagement of one of its brushes 38 or 39 carried on the crosshead of its floor selector 19 with a car signal stopping segment 49 on the floor selector. At the floors above the lower dispatching terminal the circuit from brush 38 for an ascending car having its up generator field relay contact UF closed at 54 is completed by the engagement of brush 38 with segment 49 for a landing for which a car call is registered through a closed contact corresponding to contact 1C at 55. Similarly, a descending car will ener-gize relay SC to initiate a stop through down generator field contact DF closed at 56 when brush 39 engages contact 49 for a landing having a car call registered. At the lower dispatching terminal a car normally will stop automatically even in the absence of a first floor car call provided the car is not loaded to a level actuating load bypass switch LBP and provided the car has not been assigned to basement service so that its BS contact at 54 is closed. Even if the car is assigned to basement service it will stop in response to a car call if contact 1C at 55 is closed. It will stop in response to a landing call by virtue of closd contact S1DL at 52 if it is not load bypassing. A car ascending from the basement will also stop at the lower dispatching terminal if it is not load bypassing since relay SC will be energized through down direction relay back contact DL at 53, load bypass LBP at 54, segment 49, brush 38, and up generator field contact UF at 54.

Basement service relay BS at 59 is energized in assigning a car to basement service. Only a portion of the energizing circuits for this relay are shown at lines 58 and 59 inasmuch as it is arranged for energization by registration of a landing call for basement service after a car has been selected at the lower dispatching terminal or as a descending car approaches the lower dispatching terminal but prior to its arrival at such terminal (by circuits not shown). The circuits illustrated energize relay BS in response to the registration of a call within the car for basement service at a time when timer TM1 is deenergized and automatically at times when timer BT1 is energized. Thus, this relay enters into the operation of the system by insuring the presence of a car at the basement landing at certain times even without a call being registered and assures against a car entering basement service in response to a call registered therein for such service at certain other times.

Timer BSD measures the standing interval for a car at the basement and at the end of this interval completes a portion of the car starting circuit by closing its contact at 41. It is energized when basement return relay BR closes its contact at line 60 and the car is not at the main terminal so that the MG contact at 61 is closed provided the brake is set on the car and contact BK at 60 is closed. BSD is a slow pull-in timer which can be motor driven and is adjustable for operation over a substantial interval of from a few seconds to several minutes. Thus BSD is responsive to the stop of the car at the basement for preventing restarting of the car before the expiration of a certain time interval and that certain time interval, 1n accordance with one feature of this invention, is of greater length than the interval terminated by the drop of timer TR and the closing of back contact TR at 43. This provides a longer standing interval at the basement than at landings above the lower dispatching landmg since the control of contact BSD at 41 predominates over that of contact TR at 43.

Basement assignment timer BT1 is efiective only during the interval special basement service relay at SPS at 61 is operated to close its contacts. Basement assignment timer BT1 functions in assigning a descending car to basement service provided no other car has been assigned for an interval determined by a timer TM1. BT1 operates as the car to be assigned travels from a point below the floor lmmediately above the lower dispatching terminal to the lower dispatching terminal. Thus, this relay which is of the slow drop out type is ordinarily deenergized wh1le the car is in the upper portion of the building since above main floor relay AMF is energized to open its contact. However, relay AMF drops out when the car is below the floor above the lower dispatching terminal. A descending car has its up direction [relay UL deenergized to close contact UL at 61. As it passes below the second floor in the example, its AMF contact is closed. If no other car has been assigned to basement service for a given interval contact TM1 is closed and if the car has not yet effectively reached the lower dispatching terminal back contact MG is closed. Thus, BT1 is momentarily energized and upon the effective arrival of the car at the lower dispatching terminal BT1 is deenergized by the opening of contact MG at 61.

Basement car up load relay CULM has an interlocking function in the usual selection and dispatching circuits as set forth in R. A. Burgy patent application Serial No. 832,772, entitled Elevator Controls, which was filed August 10, 1959. That patent application is concerned with a system for causing a car traveling upward from the basement to the first terminal to be introduced into the dispatching sequence as a load car if a vacancy occurs in the up load status. When two cars arrive at the lower dispatching floor from the basement they 'both tend to perform these functions and a confusing situation is created among prospective passengers wherein two cars are indicated as load cars. Relay CULM locks out one of these cars to prevent such an occurance. Load car sequence relay CULN (not shown) is energized when any car has its CULM relay energize-d. Thus, if one car has its CULM relay pulled in by its arrival from the basement (contact BR closed) at the lower dispatching landing (contact MG closed) with less than a full load (-back contact LBP closed) when no other car is assigned the up load status (back contact CULN closed), the CULM relay is pulled in and seals itself at 62 so that the pull in of CULN and opening of back contact CULN at 61, indicating admission of the car to up load status, does not drop CULM. When up load assignment for the car has proceeded sufiiciently to insure proper sequencing through CULM that relay is reset by the opening of contact CUL of the cars individual up load relay (not shown).

Basement return relay BR is energized by the arrival of a car at the basement such that brush 70 carried by the crosshead of the floor selector engage-s segment 70A at 64. Thereafter basement return relay BR seals itself in at 65 until the car either enters the up load status and operates its up load relay CUL as described above or the car runs above the main floor to open the back contact AMF at 65. Basement return relay BR performs two principal functions. It indicates the presence of a car at the basement and it indicates that a car at the lower dispatching terminal has arrived from the basement.

Relay TM1 at 66 signifies to the circuits individual to a car that a car is subject to the basement assignment interval during which time all cars are precluded from responding to basement calls and each has one of its car starting circuits, effective when the car is at the basement, broken.

The exclusion of cars from basement service when landing calls for such service are registered is facilitated by relay BLT at 67. This relay is subject to the control of up load control timer DFUT (not shown). The timer DFUT is energized so long as a car is available in the up load status and for a given interval thereafter as disclosed in detail in R. A. Burgy application Serial No. 832,772.

Car available relay CA at 68 and lower terminal car selection relay CUN at 69 correspond to those relays as disclosed in detail in R. A. Burgy application Serial No. 832,772. Arrival of a descending car at the lower dispatching landing energizes relay CA by closing contact MG at 68. Back contacts CUL of the cars up load relay and BR of its basement return relay at 68 are closed at that time. If a vacancy in selection occurs, a rotary selector switch RSU (not shown) begins to hunt for an available car by successively closing contacts individual to the cars. When contact RSU at 69 for the available car closes relay CUN is energized. This completes selection of the car. Thereafter it can be assigned to basement service or to the up load status by means not shown. When up load relay CUL pulls in it opens its back contact at 68 and drops CUN and CA. An ascending car arriving at the lower dispatching landing from the basement does not operate CUN or CA because its basement return relay back contact BR at 68 is open.

In accordance with the objective of this invention of restricting service to the basement landing, reset timer RT controlling time interval relay TM at 78 is arranged to actuate contacts when energized and then deactivate those contacts after a given interval of energization. The timer is energized by the operation of a basementservice relay BS for a car which is descending toward the lower dispatching terminal and has its BTl relay operated.

The timer has a motor M engageable through an electromagnetically operated clutch having operating solenoid 50. When solenoid 50 is energized contacts 2-6 and 5-7 are closed, the solenoid 50 is sealed through contacts 2-6 and 1-2, and the motor is engaged so that upon expiration of an interval contacts 1-2, 4-5, 2-6 and 5-7 are opened. While contacts 4-5 and 5-7 are closed relay TM is energized. Upon initiation of the RT cycle, relay TM closes its contact at 66 to energize relay TM1 and open contact TM1 at 58. This :prevents operation of another basement service relay in response to basement car calls in other cars, prevents operation of the basement assignment timer for another car, prevents registration of basement car calls for any other car, and prevents operation of basement selection relays BU and BUA. Upon the completion of its operating cycle, RT enables the next descending car to operate its basement assignment timer and enables the basement call and basement selection circuits.

Special service relay SPS sets up the restricted basement service program of this invention provided a manually operated special service switch 89 is closed, this system is on its up peak program to close up peak program relay contact H1, basement program selection relay BPS has closed its contact, and a car is in the up load status or has just left that status so that contact BLT is closed, all in line 8-0. Up peak program relay H1 can be controlled by any of a number of conditions in the system including such factors as registered calls in the car and/or at the landings, the loading of the cars, the number of cars in service, the interval the cars are stopped at landings and the number of passengers entering and leaving the cars. Basement program selection relay BPS is clock controlled as Will be described.

Basement assignment is effected by the operation of relays BU and BUA at 82 and 83. These relays are energized by a landing call requiring basement service, either a first floor down landing call which closes contact SIDL at 81 or a basement up landing call which closes contact SBUL at 84. They are arranged to be effective only when a car is in up load status or has recently been released from that status through operation of contact BLT at 80. When energized the basement assignment relays enable a car which has been selected for departure from the lower dispatching terminal to have its basement service relay BS energized as shown in the aforenoted R. A. Burgy applications. Since it is desirable that only one car serve the basement is response to landing calls at any one time, the basement assignment relay is deenergized when a car is assigned. Thus, these relays are energized through a series of parallel circuits for each car consisting of contacts AMF, BS, GS and F. If any such circuit is open no other car is assigned basement service by landing calls. This parallel circuit signifies that the car is below the terminal by virtue of open contact AMF at 81, that it has been assigned basement service by open back contact BS at 82, that it is in group service operation by open contact GS at 83 and that it is not failed by open contact F at 84. In the absence of one or more of these pre requisite conditions the circuit for energizing basement assignment relays BU and BUA is completed so far as that car is concerned. For example, a car in the upper portion of its travel which has been assigned to basement service by virtue of the registration of a basement car call will not prevent assignment of another car since its AMF contact will be closed. However, if that car were below the next landing above the lower terminal so that the AMP contact is open, the car call assignment to basement service would bar operation of BU and BUA. Similarly, a car which has been taken out of group service will have no elfect on this circuit even though it may be in basement service as, for example, when providing freight service to the basement.

The basement program selection feature is made available during certain hours of the day, for example, during landing above the lower.

the morning rush hour and therefore is controlled by a timer 90 which controls contacts C4 and C5. Basement program selection relay BPS is of the magnetic latch type and is supplied through a rectifier 91 and three leads. Leads 92 and 93 supply a magnetizing coil which establishes a flux state in the relay sufficient to pull it in and hold it in against the forces tending to drop it out even after the energizing circuit has been broken. The residual magnetism in the magnetic circuit can be overcome to drop out the relay by developing an opposing magnetic flux by passing current from lead 94 to lead 93. Thus, at the time the morning rush hour is anticipated, contact C5 can be arranged to be closed by the timer 90 so that current is passed from lead 92 to 93 and BPS is pulled in and magnetically latched. Timer 90 can be arranged to close contact C4 at the end of the morning rush period thereby completing the circuit through the reset coil of BPS from lead 94 to lead 93 whereby the BPS contact at line 80 is opened.

In operation, up peak basement service is introduced while the up peak program is in efiect and the program clock 90 has defined the high-intensity service interval. During this program the car is automatically taken to the basement so that when superimposed on the usual dispatching of cars from the lower dispatching terminal and in conjunction with the measurement of a discreet time interval by the timer TM for each basement service cycle, a certain percentage of cars approaching the lower dis patching floor proceed to the basement. While the basement service cycle is in eflect, all the remaining cars in the bank except the car which is assigned to the basement are excluded from basement service for both car calls and landing calls.

Special basement service is provided by the pull-in of relay SPS at 80 in response to the up peak program as signified by closed contact H1 and basement program selection relay BPS contact, all at 80. Special service relay SPS enables operation of basement assignment timer BT1 at 61. Relay BT1 pulls in only when a car is approaching the lower dispatching landing in the down direction by the closing of contact AMF while back contacts UL, TM1 and MG are also closed at 61. BT1 pulls in its con tact BT1 at 59 to assign the arriving car to basement service through the operation of its BS relay. The motion of the floor selector crosshead of the car in this operation drops AMF to pick up BT1 at 61 and BS before it reaches the position engaging brush 39 with segment 49 for lower dispatching terminal so that the stopping circuit for the car at that landing is opened at 54 by the opening of back contact BS, assuming no car call exists for the main floor to close contact 1C at 55 and no down landing call exists to close contact S1DL at 52, so that the car proceeds directly to the basement. If, on the other hand, a call is registered and energizes SC to cause the car to stop, its normal reversal operations are prevented by interrupting the direction throwover circuits, not shown, and the car starting circuits are energized at the end of the interval contact TR at 43 is open to start it downward from the lower dispatching terminal. This starting circuit includes the closed above main floor relay contact AMF, closed down direction contact DL and closed basement service contact BS at line 46.

With BT1 and BS energized for a car, a circuit is completed from lead GN to lead 95 to energize the clutch magnet 50 of reset timer RT so that its motor M is effective to immediately close contact 6 to contact 2 and contact 5 to contact 7 thereby energizing time interval relay TM and establishing a self-holding circuit for both the motor and clutch through leads 96 and 97. TM picks up TM1 for each car by closing the respective contacts represented at line 66. TM also interrupts the energizing circuit for basement assignment relays BU and BUA by opening its contact at 82. Thus, landing signals cannot effect a basement assignment while TM is energized. Reset timer RT is adjustable over a substantial interval, for

example, from zero to 150 seconds. At the end of its cycle it momentarily opens contacts 12 and 4-5 to deenergize the clutch magnet of RT thereby permitting contacts 2-6 and 57 to open. This drops out time interval relay TM.

Individual time interval relays TM1 at 66 open the car button relay circuits for basement car calls in each car as though back contact TM1 at 35. Thereafter, a car button 26 or 27 is ineifective to energize pull-in coil BC. However, a sealed car call remains through contact BC at 36 until the car is either reversed and car button reset relay RB opens its back contact at 31 or the car travels to the basement. Basement selection of a car by virtue of a sealed-in basement car call relay closing contact BC at 58 is prevented at this time by open back contact TM1 in series therewith. Further, during the interval that one car is assigned to basement service and the reset timer RT is timing, the operation of a basement assignment timer BT1 for all other cars is prevented by the opening of back contact TM1 at 61.

When the interval on RT expires and the contacts 26 and 57 are opened, relay TM in dropping each cars TM1 relay causes the system to revert to normal basement service until the first car approaching the dispatching landing is again selected for such service and the basement exclusion time interval is again initiated.

In the illustrated system service at the lower dispatching landing is arranged to predominate over that at the basement. On the down peak program assignment of a car to basement service by a landing call for such service is prevented by opening the circuit to relays BU and BUA at down peak program relay back contact H3 at 82. During normal service landing calls for basement service are effective only while a car is loading at the lower dispatching landing and for a short interval thereafter as determined by basement exclusion timer BLT since its contact BLT at must be closed for the relays BU and BUA to respond to the calls. When the up peak basement service conditions prevail, that service is effective only while an up load car energizes BLT and closes its contact at 80. Thus where a vacancy in the up load status exists for any substantial interval no cars can serve the basement by means other than car call requirements on ordinary programs and all service to the basement is prevented on the special program effective during operation of BPS.

When up peak basement service is in efiect so that relay SPS at 80 is energized, a car traveling to the basement will have its TM1 relay energized and its car starting circuits opened at contacts TM1 at 43 and BR at 44. Door time relay BSD at 60 measures the interval the brake is set while the car is at the basement through the circuit completed from lead P through BSD, back contact BK of the brake relay, contact BR of basement return relay, and back contact MG of the lower main terminal relay to lead Y. When maintained energized for a given interval, BSD times out. At this time, back contact TM1 at 43 is open, the car has been reversed for travel upward so that contact DL at 46 is open, contact BR at 44 is open since the car has run to the basement, and contact MG at 42 is open since the car is not at the lower dispatching terminal so that no circuit is available to energize the car starting relays CS and CSA. Upon termination of the BSD interval contact BSD at 41 is closed. This energizes car start relays CS and CSA and the car is started upward in the normal manner. When the car lifts its brake contact BK at 60 opens and basement d-oor time relay BSD is reset. Should the basement exclusion period measured by timer RT terminate with the timing out of RT and the drop out of TM1, the basement load time period measured by BSD is nullified by the closure of contact TM1 at 43 and the basement car starts immediately.

If no car is in the up load status at the lower dispatching terminal cars are prevented from being assigned basement service by landing calls. Relay BLT is of the slow drop out type as is relay DFUT which controls it.

Relay DFUT is energized while a car is in the up load status and for an interval thereafter. While DFUT is energized its contact at 67 is closed and BLT is energized so that its contact at 80 is closed to partially establish the basement assignment relay BU and BUA circuits. Shortly afterv the up load? status is v-acated DFUT drops and thereafter BLT drops, this opens contact BLT at 80 and prevents assignment of a car for basement service from basement landing signals. This continues until a car reenters up load status and DFUT and BLT are again energized.

A car fully loaded at the basement by-passes the lower dispatching terminal as it ascends unless a car call is registered for that floor. If such a call exists, the car will stop at the terminal, will not tie into dispatching, and will remain at the terminal for only its normal door open interval. When the load on the car is sufficient to operate the load switch, eg, 80 percent of capacity, and the door to the car closes load by-pass relay LBP picks up and seals itself in. The seal circuit for LBP is maintained for a car returning to the lower terminal from the basement until it resets its basement return relay BR and at other floors until the door begins to open at the next stop. Back contact LBP at 54 opens to prevent the stopping of an ascending car in response to a landing signal at the terminal and permits that car to run past the terminal unless a car call is registered to close 1C at 55. If a car call is registered the car will stop through energization of stopping relay SC. However it will be excluded from the dispatching sequence since back contact LBP at 62 will be open while the car is at the lower terminal to prevent the pull in of basement car up load relay CULM. This prevents operation of the load car sequence relays which enable a basement return car to enter up load status and therefore maintains basement return relay BR at 64 energized. The car is started from the lower terminal under these circumstances, when timer TR times out to close its back contact at 43 since the car starting circuits of relays CS and CSA are completed by a basement return car, one having contact BR at 42 closed, which is at the lower terminal, so that contact MG at 42 is closed.

A car ascending from the basement with less than a full load will automatically stop at the lower terminal by energizing its SC relay at 54 through the circuit comprising contacts UF, LBP and DL. This car will operate its basement car up load relay CULM if a vacancy occurs in the up load status during the interval it is stopped at the lower terminal. Thus if a car is dispatched and vacates the up load status relay CULM for the basement return car has a sequence preference to introduce the car into the up load status and functions in preference to cars accessible to such status which are at the terminal. Such sequence involves delaying the advance into up load status of cars at the terminal for an interval sufficient to permit basement return cars to enter that status as taught in R. A. Burgy application Serial No. 832,772. The CULM relay is energized if no other car is in up load status to open back contact CULN at 62 provided the basement return car is not load by-passing to open contact LBP at 62, has its BR and MG contacts closed signifying it is at the lower terminal and has not yet opened its up load relay back contact CUL at 62. Once it enters the up load status its CULM relay is reset by the opening of back contact CUL at 62 and the cars basement return relay BR at 64 is released by opening back contact CUL at 65. Thereafter the car is started from the terminal by the operation of the dispatcher through the closing of up dispatch detent relay contact DUA and up dispatch relay contact CUD at 45.

This invention has been described particularly with respect to a lower dispatching terminal and a basement below that terminal to which cars are assigned for service on a periodic basis provided certain prerequisites are met. These prerequisites include the presence of a car conditioned for receiving loads for up travel at the dispatching landing and the absence of any other car assigned to basement service. Cars are assigned as they descend toward the lower dispatching landing. At the moment they are assigned a timing opeartion is initiated which measures an interval. During the measured interval other cars are barred from assignment to basement service and the basement car call registering means and responsive means for each of the cars as well as the basement landing call assignment means are rendered ineifective. While the assigned car .is serving the basement it is held at that landing for an interval .greater than the normal standing interval at floors above the dispatching landing in order to assure that the car is available for loading at the landing for a substantial interval. At the end of this interval the car is automatically sent away from the basement but in the event that the car assignment interval expires before the end of the standing interval at the basement the car will be sent away at an earlier moment. At the end of an assignment interval the assignment means for all of the cars in the system are again enabled so that the next car in condition to be assigned when a car is conditioned for loading at the terminal is so assigned. This mode of operation when combined with atimed dispatching system wherein the basement assignment interval is substantially greater than the dispatching intervals employed provides a minor portion of the service available from the system to traflic at the basement while a major portion of that service is maintained at the lower dispatching terminal. It is to be understood that all of these features are applicable to any landing beyond a dispatching terminal thus the features might be applied at an upper dispatching landing where there are landings above the upper dispatching landing and accordingly, in some instances, the dispatching landing has been termed a landing from which cars are dispatched in a given direction and the landing beyond corresponding to the basement has been termed a landing displaced beyond the dispatching landing in a direction opposite the given direction.

It is to be appreciated that the present disclosure is intended only to illustrate the invention and is not to be read in a limiting sense inasmuch as the system lends itself to many modifications and utilizations not disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:

1. An elevator system comprising a plurality of cars serving a plurality of landings including a lower dispatching landing and a basement landing below said lower dispatching landing, means to stop descending cars at said dispatching landing automatically, means to condition a car for loading for up travel at said dispatching landing, means for setting a car to basement service, means for sensing the setting of any basement serving car to basement service, and means responsive to the presence of a conditioned car at said dispatching landing, and concurrently therewith, the absence of a car set to provide basement service for preventing the stopping of a descending car at said dispatching landing by said stopping means.

2. An elevator system comprising a plurality of cars serving a plurality of landings including a lower dispatching landing and a basement landing below said lower dispatching landing; means to stop descending cars at said dispatching landing; means to condition a car for loading for up travel at said dispatching landing; means for indicating the direction of travel of a car; means for sensing the approach of a car to said dispatching landing; means for setting a car for basement service; means for sensing the setting of any car for basement service; and means responsive to a descending car approaching said dispatching landing, the presence of a conditioned car at said dispatching landing, and the absence of a car set to provide basement service for setting said descending car to provide basement service.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Glaser et a1 187-29 Glaser et a1 187-29 Suozzo 1-87-29 Santini et a1. 187-29 Suozzo 187-29 Suozzo et a1. 187-29 Yeasting 187-29 16 Savino et a1. 187-29 Dinning 187-29 Burgy et a1. 187-29 Burgy et a1. 187-29 Dinning et a1. 187-29 De Lamater 187-29 ORIS L. RADER, Primary Examiner.

T. LYNCH, Assistant Exa'miner. 

1. AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CARS SERVING A PLURALITY OF LANDINGS INCLUDING A LOWER DISPATCHING LANDING AND A BASEMENT LANDING BELOW SAID LOWER DISPATCHING LANDING, MEANS TO STOP DESCENDING CARS AT SAID DISPATCHING LANDING AUTOMATICALLY, MEANS TO CONDITION A CAR FOR LOADING FOR UP TRAVEL AT SAID DISPATCHING LANDING, MEANS FOR SETTING A CAR TO BASEMENT SERVICE, MEANS FOR SENSING THE SETTING OF ANY BASEMENT SERVING CAR TO BASEMENT SERVICE, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE PRESENCE OF A CONDITIONED CAR AT SAID DISPATCHING LANDING, AND CONCURRENTLY THEREWITH, THE ABSENCE OF A CAR SET TO PROVIDE BASEMENT SERVICE FOR PREVENTING THE STOPPING OF A DESCENDING CAR AT SAID DISPATCHING LANDING BY SAID STOPPING MEANS. 